Striking a Blow Against Labor: The Wagner Act, Market Fundamentalism, and the Limits of the New Deal (thesis)

Abstract

The causes of the South's unique economic development are not as straightforward as its results. Although unions are undeniably weak in the South and have remained weak throughout several stages of Labor's national development, there is considerable debate as to why Labor failed in securing a foothold in the industrializing South. The topic of union weakness in the region attracts the attention of scholars studying New Deal policy, labor history, and the trajectory of American business and economic development. This paper will draw on scholarship related to each of these fields of study as they apply to unique regional characteristics of Virginia's and the South's economic development. It draws a connection between arguments advanced at the national level to justify passage of new labor law in 1935 and this legislation's effectiveness at local levels. [From the Introduction]